“Like hell I am!” she snapped, snatching the covers off her body and standing up. Her quick movement scared me. I didn’t know whether she was going to leave the building, drop to the ground from the weakness, or what. I had a deep fear of her relapsing as soon as she left.
“You have a few more minutes? Follow me down here to the big TV in the patient lounge. They say I need someone walking with me for safety. I told them it’s my hands, not my legs,” she spoke, walking by me. I moved quickly to avoid getting left behind.
“I’m gonna have to get me one of these. They treat us like we're in prison. Give us a little eight-inch TV in our rooms. We gotta come down here to see what’s really going on. I think the governor is speaking today.”
We entered the patient lounge area, and it was crowded with a few people, mostly older patients. It was on the news station. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why people watched the news when Google was available. I guess it was just a generational thing. We settled into our seats. I looked up and saw a man walk into the room, and the whole energy shifted. He was encompassing. He was something straight out of a magazine. Very tall, at least 6’6. His ebony skin was full of deep melanin, and his physique was evident. More than anything, it was the intensity in his eyes that had me affixed. He seemed to see through everyone in the room. His eyes sat on me momentarily, and he snarled a bit before looking away. I wasn’t quite drooling, but a specimen that beautiful had to be given its due. The man was fine. If it weren’t for the hospital clothes and bandage on his head, I would have thought we were being pranked.
“Girl, don’t let your man see you up in here looking like that. Momma gotta show you how to play it cool,” she whispered,calling me out. I chuckled because she caught me slippin’. It wasn’t that I wanted the man because I was perfectly happy with mine. He was just a force, and anyone taking up space with him had to feel that way.
The TV began to sound, and a hush took over the room. I only had ten minutes left on my break, so I knew I would have to take off soon. The voice on the TV drew everyone’s attention. All the chatter in the room ceased, and everyone zoned in. I wondered what they wanted to see so badly, so I was intrigued by default.
“Please, everyone, rise to your feet and welcome our new governor of Michigan! Mr. Darnell Spears!!!”
“Thank you! And thank you, Michigan!!! As you know, I’m here to talk about gun violence. Something that has plagued the inner cities in Michigan, and something that has hit close to home with me. As you all know, my wife Janiya was a victim of gun violence. She left the hospital just today to be at this occasion, still fighting for her memory and her function, she wanted to be here. She is a fighter, and wanted to show the people of Michigan that we don’t stay down! We get back up!”
The crowd on the TV erupted in cheers as a woman in a wheelchair was rolled into the view of the camera. Mumbles spread throughout the room.
“TURN THIS SHIT OFF!” The dark gentleman called from the side of the room, and everyone eyed him. When no one moved, he reiterated his demand. “I SAID TURN THIS SHIT OFF!!!” He took it a step further, walking aggressively to the TV, smashing the screen with his hand, and then tossing it to the floor. Screams ensued, and in a flash, nurses flew into the room and surrounded him.
“CALM DOWN, MR. LAWSON!!!” a nurse called.
“FUCK Y’ALL!” he challenged and tried to leave the room. They hit him with a sedative, and his big body dropped to the floor. They placed him on a stretcher and took him out of the room. I was shaking. The whole scene lasted maybe two minutes at most, but it felt like a movie was playing out in front of me.
“See, that’s why I gotta get the hell out of here. These muthafuckas crazy! It is a shame what happened to the governor’s wife, though,” my mom said, snapping me out of my fog.
“Huh? What happened?”
“Somebody shot her up. The story goes she was with one of her patients, and someone did a drive-by on them. They indicted her mother even though no one believed it was her.”
“What? You lyin’!” This was crazy.
“Hell nah, I ain’t. Momma shot her up and couldn’t even make it to trial before somebody offed her ass. Where have you been, girl? It was all over the news.”
“I don’t know. I really don’t watch the news.”
“That’s how us old folks keep our ear to the streets now. But come on, I know you gotta get back to work,” she said, pulling me up and walking me back to her room.
I promised I would bring Trina by to see her tomorrow, and maybe see what I could do to see if I could get her transferred to another facility that could do her physical and drug rehab in one. I wanted to support her as much as possible because she was turning the corner, and I didn’t want to deter her in any way.
On my way back into work, I thought about the little visit I had received from Crystal. Even though I had to beat her ass for trying me when we first met, I knew we would have to carveout some relationship. Mothers don’t have to be perfect to be loved. My life was a perfect example of such. I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that she wasn’t being as honest as she should have been. She was a snake.
Not only did she fuck over Marcos, but she was also out for her own gain. You couldn’t tell me anything different about her. Even with that, she was tied to Marcos’s life and now mine since I was with him. The paternity still hadn’t been addressed fully, and that was one thing I walked on eggshells with Marcos about.
An idea popped into my head just then. Everyone needed some clarity.
I would tell him about it because I vowed that night at the hotel we wouldn’t have any more secrets between us. I would tell him when I got home, and I would have to keep my eye on that bitch because I didn’t trust her ass at all.
Chapter 36
Terror
Ididn’t quite know how to approach the conversation, but at Dyami's urging, I asked my mother if I could speak with her about the information I had found out. I needed to hear her side of the story. She and I had always been close, but being a parent now, I knew you couldn’t tell your children everything. This thing she left out felt a little too big for me to overlook. I never told her much about the situation with Slash, but she was fully aware of what happened between Kole and me. Why wouldn’t she tell me then? Was it her way of protecting me? I wasn’t upset at her because, honestly, the facts wouldn’t have changed the outcome. Either way, I couldn’t get the answers for myself. I called her to the kitchen while the house was empty of everyone except MJ, who was down for his nap.
“Hey, son,” my mother said, walking into the kitchen and sitting across from me at the island in the middle. It was a late afternoon, and as always, she was in full diva mode. She had a face full of makeup, and her slim body was wrapped in a floor-length red dress.
“I need to talk to you about—"
“I know what you need to talk about, baby,” she said, pursing her lips together, grabbing the coffee cup she walked in with, and taking a small sip.
